The Three P's
by MillieAshford
Summary: "Karasuma believes being the epitome of a gentlemen is defined by the three 'P's; perfection, performance, and planning." Where one man's values are placed on the line for the girl of his dreams in the hopes of her being his wife one day. COMPLETE
1. Part 1- Principles

**The Three P's (Part 1)**

Karasuma believes being the epitome of a gentlemen is defined by the three 'P's; perfection, performance, and planning. A lot of planning. He never forgets his manners and his gentleman ways, makes sure he has control over every situation and finds pride when a date with a lovely woman goes according to his own plan. And it has ALWAYS gone according to plan.

Except that all seems to be in the past. Before a certain woman came into his life. Correction, barged into his life.

Perfection was the first 'P' that found itself tipped on its head.

After being assigned to a new partner for an important assignment, Karasuma decided to take out their files and assess the quality of his new partner. However, during the process of pulling out the files, his assistant ran into his office, tripped over the leg of the table he was sitting on, and promptly elbow the innocent cup of black coffee sitting on his desk next to the report. A roll of toilet paper later, due to the mysterious disappearance of his own tissue box, they were finally able to clean up the mess. Unfortunately, the file was unsalvageable. It wasn't because the paper was soaked, in fact it didn't turn into pulp. It wasn't because the colour of the stain made the words unreadable. It was because he forgot to read the fine print at the bottom, which stated that the file would be destroyed if coffee was poured over it. Damn that fine print. Mistake number one.

Mistakes are avoidable embarrassments he would rather not encounter, as they lower his performance and how perfect his overall image was. Yet the mistakes kept piling up.

Mistake number two was getting smashed the night before he was supposed to meet his new partner.

Mistake number three was being late, due to a horrid hangover, and looking like he just rolled off the wrong side of the bed. His normally slicked back hair was drooping and he had unattractive eye bags.

Mistake number four was accidently staring one second too long at the leggy, correction, physically well attributed new partner and getting punched in the face.

Mistake number five- falling in love with that curvy, smart, goddess during the assignment where they had to pretend to be in love. Key word: Pretend.

Furiously scrunching up the list of mistakes up into a ball and throwing it at the trashcan did not calm him down, as it did not go into the bin as he anticipated. His façade of being perfect was crumbling.

Performance followed the same fate as Perfection. Whenever peak perfection was not achieved, his performance in his mission, the way he handled the situation, and the attempts at being strategic all failed. Miserably, he added.

His spitfire of a partner got herself kidnapped by the target, but somehow still managed to escape and take down the big bad boss herself. Not once did she need his help, and not once did she bat an eyelid when he reprimanded her for not adhering to the plan. Of which leaves him with the third 'P', planning. And also mistake number 6.

"You are my goddess Irina. I have realised that I want to spend the rest of my life with somebody, and I want the rest of my life with you to start as soon as possible."

She merely raised an eyebrow, as if she had heard this a million times.

"All my life I have been striving to find perfection, contentment. With you, I am whole."

Why is she supressing the urge to laugh?

"You are the definition of perfection, and no need of implants nor Botox will change that. Will you…"

"Please stop!" She was laughing, full out laughing at him.

"What do you mean stop?" He asked, puzzled.

"Karasuma, our mission has already ended. You don't need to keep up the image, or the performances any longer. We are not an item, and will not ever be. So I beg you, stop faking your love for me. I'm sure it's non-existent."

"The answer is no?" He said, a small part of his brain was still praying to the gods for luck.

"Karasuma, I don't think we should see each other anymore."

He couldn't take it anymore. 'Mistake' in big red letters was blazing in his vision. Running out of the restaurant, out of the sight of her and the other diners, he began sprinting back home. And promptly tripping over a trashcan that popped up from nowhere.

Mistake number six- Proposing to the girl who has haunted his dreams since the first day he met her.

* * *

~millieashford


	2. Part 2- Puppy Love

**Puppy Love**

Irina P.O.V

Her dating track record was always a bit blurry, filled with real and fake relationships, some she was sad to let go of, others that resulted in her hanging off the edge of a cliff. There was one particular relationship she had with her partner once upon a time, which resulted in her fervently believing that she should never love anyone more than they love her.

Her downfall came as a blond-haired, blue eyed fellow full of charisma. He had eyes that shone when he was talking about the different types of guns he owns, but also eyes that became hardened whenever he became an automated killing machine. His flirty ways got ingrained in her, and she felt that she was slowly falling for his charm the moment they were partnered together. It was at that moment, her life started to crumble around her.

Spending time with someone who shared a different set of values and enjoyed killing anyone and everyone burdened her, yet at the same time, she could not seem to stay away from him, as he allured her into thinking she was safe from harm when she spent time with him. How disillusioned and infatuated she was at the time, blindly following him like a lost puppy, accepting gifts here and there, believing that his affections for her was the same.

Silently recalling the moment she came to her senses, she realised how much of a fool she was at the time.

Young and inexperienced in the field of love described her fully, as she blindly chased after him. Puppy love; so dangerous for those who worked in her field.

On that fateful mission, her and her object of infatuation boarded a cruise ship filled with high class individuals. She wore red pumps with a little black dress, and her partner donned a black and white tuxedo with a poppy as his boutonniere to match her. When they walked into the reception hall, her hand in his, she really thought that they were a real couple just like all the other couples in the room. Halfway through their mission, he went missing. To her, this was no real threat of any sort. However, she swore she saw him leave with a couple of skimpily clad ladies clinging to each of his arms. Excusing herself from a businessman too focused on staring below her shoulders, she slipped past waiters and into the silent corridors where the sleeping quarters were. Her trained hearing picked up sounds coming from a room near the end of the corridor, and she picked up her pace in anticipation of what was behind the door. Finding the door locked, she used one of her hair pins to give herself access. The door opened and she narrowly dodged a flying knife aimed for her neck. The sight was sickening. Blood stained the carpet, walls and was splattered across small circular window in the room. There he stood, in the middle of fallen corpses, a manic glint in his eyes. Suddenly, he ran towards her, eyes filled with menace. Irina instinctively grabbed the knife stuck on the corridor wall behind her, and impaled him. Multiple times to be exact. All she saw was scarlet.

Red was her favourite colour, and she used to apply bright bold red lipstick for missions, feeling the empowerment from red lipstick. After that mission, all the colours in the world seemed to have dulled. In the mission report following the event, she found out that her partner was actually not supposed to be on the mission. In a doctor's report on the very morning of their mission, he was diagnosed as being emotionally and mentally unstable, often having psychotic periods where he lost his grip on humanity. Being filed off as unfit for duty was a deep blow to the man's ego, so he poisoned the doctor with a dart used for missions, and left him sitting in the doctor's seat.

"You've done us a favour Irina, do not feel guilty or burdened by your own actions." The chief stated, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Back then, she didn't feel like she did anyone a favour. But right now, she understood that she did herself a favour. By metaphorically and literally killing her puppy love, she excelled in her skills, and effectively blocked any emotions of infatuation for anyone.

Until a certain dark haired, built cough, physically attributed male came into her life. His incessant preaching about the three P's made her raise her eyebrows each time they were never able to be placed into action. She wouldn't admit it, but the time she spent with him felt like the best few days of her life. Not only was he foul mouthed and blunt, but he was also a gentleman and a rational thinker.

She didn't want the moment to end, though she felt that all good things must come to an end. The end came in the form of his marriage proposal.

"You are my goddess Irina. I have realised that I want to spend the rest of my life with somebody, and I want the rest of my life with you to start as soon as possible."

Her breathing stopped, and she felt something lodged in her throat when he said this. She raised her eyebrow, feeling as if it was the safest option.

"All my life I have been striving to find perfection, contentment. With you, I am whole."

She scrunched up her face, her chest tightening at a rapid pace. Inside her mind, the words of "Don't love anyone more than they love you" flashed in bright neon lights.

"You are the definition of perfection, and no need of implants nor will Botox change that. Will you…"

Ah, the world was so cruel.

"Please stop!" She couldn't take it anymore. Laughing a hollow laugh, she felt as if the gods were laughing at her too.

"What do you mean stop?" He asked, confusion written all over his face.

 _Let's face it Irina_ , she told herself, _he's probably just only has puppy love for you. Your own feelings for him are much deeper, and he could not possibly want to pursue anything more than on and off dating._

"Karasuma, our mission has already ended. You don't need to keep up the image, or the performances any longer. We are not an item, and will not ever be. So I beg you, stop faking your love for me. I'm sure it's non-existent."

"The answer is no?" Gosh, the disappointment in his eyes was literally screaming at her. She hesitated a little, what if he really liked her? Frowning, she internally shook her head. She shouldn't be complacent.

"Karasuma, I don't think we should see each other anymore."

When he ran out of the restaurant, her heart cracked a little.

* * *

Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows, they mean a lot to us writers (and me) as it means our work is being read :)

So thanks again!

~millieashford


	3. Part 3- Perfectly Stupid

**Perfectly Stupid**

Sake….Sake…SAKE!

Perhaps becoming a mindless alcoholic for one evening was a wrong decision to make, but tough times call for irrational choices.

But then again, why was her sake talking to her?

"Irina….Irina…IRINA! Wake up!"

Why did it feel like a furnace in here? Did she forget to turn off the heater last night?

"You've got to get up!"

Her vision was filled with dancing spirits dressed in orange, they were chanting to her in strange tongues as they surrounded her.

A muscular arm grabbed hold of her, and a familiar scent filled her nose. Home.

Why was it getting so much harder to breathe? She asked no one in particular.

She struggled to keep her eyes open, but she began losing her grip on consciousness.

The last thing she saw was spiky black hair.

* * *

They say that Love is facing your demons and confronting your fears. When you love someone, the shell you've instinctively built around yourself starts to crack. You are beautiful and you are raw. Love calls us into vulnerability, even when we are scared of it, because through vulnerability comes true intimacy.

Karasuma faced his own demons, also known as his old friend Death; all for the sake of the one he loves. Her apartment was engulfed in flames, for a neighbour forgot to blow out their candle, and letting it catch fire on a bedroom curtain. As the firefighters ran in and out, assisting people to escape the blaze, he could not help but worry that none of them had yellow hair.

Frustration and deep sense of dread filled him, and he had to shake his head to clear his mind before formulating a plan. A life or death one. When one the firefighters were preoccupied with manning the fire hydrant, he ran into the burning building, desperate to save her.

While he wrapped a wet cloth around his nose, he navigated through falling beams and ran up the stairs, dodging people here and there. Her room was on the second floor, near the end of the corridor. Having been completely smitten with her, he had to admit that his stalker skills were being placed into good use today. Sidestepping and ducking around more fallen debris, he prayed to the gods that she was alright. Almost there, he said to himself.

When he reached her room, he found it locked on the outside. Swearing under his breath, he kicked the offending door in hopes that it would open. The flames had taken their toll on the infrastructure, allowing him access to her room. She was lying on her couch, completely ignorant to the burning world around her.

As he tried to wake her, he realised that she has heavily intoxicated. Hauling her body and placing her on his back, he searched for the closest exit. A loud boom behind him indicated that where he came from was definitely off the list. Navigating through her burning furniture, he ran to her balcony.

Looking down, he gained the attention of the people standing below. They hurriedly motioned to the firefighters that there was still people up in the apartment, and the firefighters brought a giant safety net below them.

Flame licked his heels when the firefighters gave him the ok to go. Throwing her out of the balcony first, he felt relieved to see her land safely. Suddenly, the ledge of the balcony he was standing on gave way, and he soon found himself falling.

Whilst the firefighters caught him, he went through the net, suffering internal bleeding and was immediately raced off to the hospital.

That was three days ago.

Today, he woke up to see a mass of blonde hair on his hospital bed. Rubbing his eyes, he realised it was Irina. When he tried to shift his leg, he accidently woke her. One second was all it took for her to pounce on him.

"You stupid, idiot! Why did you run into the fire to save me? Did you think that you could be gallant and save me or something?!" She said, as she started punching him on the chest.

Wincing from the pain, he tried to get her attention.

"Irina…." But failed as she continued her assault.

"You could've died you idiot. Jumping onto safety nets without protecting your own organs, throwing me off balconies before yourself. What in the world are you thinking? Sacrificing your own life for mine! You are such a…."

He kissed her to shut her up. And to also ensure that no more bodily harm was done to his already hurting insides.

"Don't cry." He half-hearted chastised, whilst using his thumb to wipe away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why?" She whispered, unable to pair facts with reason.

"Because I love you."

More tears pooled in her blue eyes, threatening to fall.

"Why?"

"Because I do."

"That's not a…."

He kissed her again. She was being too noisy in her spluttering, and his ears were ringing. Also, she tasted sweet like honey, it was really addicting.

Later, when he was all healed and was allowed to leave the hospital, he gave her his answer.

"If you were to die without me, I would feel very lonely. So I thought that if I died trying to save you, I would still be able to meet up with you in the end."

"Dummy!" She yelled, hitting him on the chest yet again, but the blush on her cheeks said otherwise.

"So Irina, will you marry me?"

"Idiot!"

"Ah that's a yes right?"

"STUPID!"

And they lived happily, ever after (as a stupid couple very much in love)

* * *

~millieashford


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